After having a Facebook page for only a few hours, the Queen of England already has more than 87,000 "likes" from other Facebook users.

After having a Facebook page for only a few hours, the Queen of England already has more than 87,000 people who "like" the page.

The British Monarchy launched its official Facebook page this morning . Though you can't "poke" the queen or other members of her family, followers now can see photos of the royal family, get updates on their News Feeds and get information on royal events.

So far, the Monarchy has posted information and photos of the Queen's meeting with the Emir of Qatar, along with pictures of Prince William and Prince Harry. There are 29 photo albums available for viewing on the page.

The British Monarchy isn't alone; other world leaders are taking advantage of social media, too.

Early in 2009, the Vatican launched its own YouTube channel to offer video and audio clips of Pope Benedict XVI's addresses, along with news about the pontiff. And the Catholic News Service, which is connected with the Vatican, also has its own Facebook page .